Breaking the Cycle of Abuse

How does your family's emotional history affect the person you are today? Dr. Phil talks to three generations of women who fear that they are repeating a cycle of violence and pain.

A Family Legacy

Julie, 20, says that she grew up in an abusive home, as did her mother and grandmother. Her husband, John, says that he and Julie constantly fight, and that she even went to jail for domestic violence! Now she worries because their 10-month-old daughter, Jalie, has witnessed their blow ups.

Julie reveals that when she was a child, her mother left her father and entered a battered woman's shelter. Her father vehemently denies the abuse. Georgia, Julie's mother, says she's concerned about her daughter's explosive temper.